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Blancpain Watches 'Showing' Event In Los Angeles

Blancpain will soon have a watch showing event on October 19th, 2010 in conjunction with the Tourbillon watch store. Both are part of the Swatch Group. While the event will be hosted by the Tourbillon store that is on Rodeo, it will take place at the SLS Hotel on 465 South La Cienega Blvd. The event will be from 6-9pm. It should be interesting, and will likely show off some new pieces. Important for watch lovers is the fact that the Blancpain name will soon be applied to most of Swatch Groups best movements. Likely to be a nice event for Los Angeles based watch lovers.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: blancpain, event, los angeles, show, tourbillon, west coast

Luxury Watch & Cars: Wearing An MB&F HM3 In Monterey At the Car Shows

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos

Car crazed fans of all types and budgets flock to Monterey, CA each summer to experience the Concours de Elegance, Quail Lodge car show, races at Laguna Seca, and a number of other events and auctions that all celebrate the appreciation of fine cars. The Concours de Elegance itself is all about, well.... elegance. A highly subjective concept that a panel of trusted judges are called to determine. I wonder why then they seem to choose the same 1930's era French cars as "Best of Show" each year. Though you'll find cars new and old - specially some of the most expensive and exotic motorcars in the world all in one weekend.

So I travel to Monterey this year with one of the world's most exotic watches - priced as much as many brand new luxury cars. Though not quite up to the cost of a rare vintage European sports car at auction around town that weekend, the watch should be an impressive sighting for those "in the know." With millions of dollars exchanged each day of the event in car auction sales, the demographic of people who attend the events is comprised of the wealthier elite. These people are often watch lovers as well. So in cooperation with MB&F, I see how their Horological Machine Number 3 (HM3) "Sidewinder" watch (which I wrote in more detail about here) adds to my, and the experience of others during the show.

At Pebble Beach, the attention you get is often linked to what you are doing, and who you are with. Myself, toting a backpack and camera was likely taken as a photographically inclined car fan (which I am), or a member of the media (which I also am). Thus, people didn't look carefully at my wrist expecting to see something special. Among the ranks of collectors with their rare cars, it felt good having a rare watch - a bit like I was part of the "in crowd." Perhaps this crowd is something you can buy in to, but your status there is all about what you bring to the party - and I had something interesting. An avant garde Italian sports car from the 70's equivalent in watch form.

Tags: 2010, beach, car, hm3, mbf, monterey, pebble, quail, show, watch

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The Geneva Watch Factory 2010 Exhibition For Young Watch Brands

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Events

New and smaller watch brands have a tough time when it comes promoting themselves to the watch industry at large. Especially when it comes to an industry that is so focused around personal relationships and establishing key strategic relationships. With hundreds of watch brands today, and new ones popping up all the time (even in this economy), dedicated watch industry shows are very important. The two major shows in Europe are Baselworld and SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie)- both in Switzerland. With the latter being basically a show for the Richemont brands.

A new watch show has just been organized and will debut in Geneva in January 2010. The name is The Geneva Watch Factory, or just "The Watch Factory." Yes, it is a cheesy name as far as I am concerned, but so are most names for exhibits such as this. The show will actually compete with SIHH as it will be held at the same time and in a nearby location in Geneva. The show will feature at least 20 "young brands." Part of the reason that these brands are interested in the new show is due to the massive size of Baselworld where it is easy to get lost among the other brands, as well as likely the expense to exhibit at Baselworld. Stay tuned for more information about the participating watch brands as we get closer to January.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2010, exhibit, geneva, January, show, the watch facotry, TheWatchFacotry, twf, watch

$3 Million Supercar Stars in UAE Mega Luxury Show

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events, Men's Style, Wealth

Things may not be going as swimmingly as they once were in the oil rich nations of the UAE, but that doesn't mean there aren't still plenty of people there with disposable incomes the size of some countries' GDPs. In April, Abu Dhabi will host its first Big Boys Toys Super Show, showcasing the world's top luxury products for men, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). So far the star of the show looks like the $3 million Maxximus G-Force supercar (above), a 1600 hp beast billed as the world's fastest street legal automobile capable of 0 - 60 mph in 2.1 seconds. The Big Boy Toys show will be divided into seven "hi-octane zones designed to appeal to anyone with a Y chromosome": Drive, Ride, Off Road, Marine, Aviation, Lifestyle and Wired. It's expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors.

Tags: Abu Dhabi, AbuDhabi, Dubai, Luxury goods, LuxuryGoods, Maxximus, Maxximus G-Force, MaxximusG-force, Show, Supercar, UAE

The Real Cost of an NYC Runway Show

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events

For a designer, being a part of NYC's Fashion Week means a lot more than just coming up with two dozen "looks" and hoping that they turn into hits. It means planning everything from invitations to lighting, music to publicity. It means money. A 15-minute long runway show costs more to put on than you might think. The tents at Bryant Park alone cost up to $50,000, and more luxurious locations can cost two or three times that. Lighting runs up to $64,000 and music, assuming that a DJ is the one spinning the tracks, adds another $10,000 to the final bill. Models, makeup and celebrity attendees can push the total up as high as the designer can afford to go. Rock N Republic's show this year cost nearly $2.5 million